AUC and USAID Celebrate the Inauguration of Sohag University Center For Career Development

AUC celebrated the launch of the University Center for Career Development (UCCD) at Sohag University this month, funded by The United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The ceremony was attended by AUC President Francis Ricciardone, AUC Counselor Ashraf Hatem, USAID Mission Director Sherry Carlin, Sohag Governor Ahmed Al Ansary and Sohag University President Ahmed Aziz Abdul-Moneim.

The project aims to equip and prepare around one million public university students for the labor market with a comprehensive set of guidance and training in the fields of career management, employability skills and entrepreneurship free of charge to increase the competitiveness of graduates through 20 centers in 12 universities in Greater Cairo, Delta and Upper Egypt.  The centers in Minia, Beni-Suef, Mansoura, Sadat City and Alexandria were launched the past few months. In order to ensure the sustainability of the center and the professional services it provides, the AUC team will train and qualify the UCCD staff of Sohag University as career service providers.

At the ceremony, Aziz noted the importance of providing an integrated educational experience to students. "[This] comes as the latest achievement towards that goal. It will help the students to be ready for the labor market and become more competitive, which is an effective contribution to serve the local community in the government, and to serve Egypt."

Ricciardone thanked the USAID for helping AUC service Egyptian society during the University's centennial year.

“We are pleased to inaugurate our new partnership with Sohag University in a project that is already empowering students in centers from Alexandria to Sohag," said Ricciardone. "Ultimately the UCCDs at national universities up and down the Nile will positively impact the Egyptian economy by building communications between businesses and industries with their prospective employees — Egypt’s rising university students."

Carlin said she was pleased about the partnership. “The impact of this project will go beyond helping the students but will also have a positive impact on linking universities to the labor market, reducing unemployment rates among graduates.”